Fallen Sakura
by The 8th Stone
Summary: He gazes up to her, the girl he'd known no longer there, replaced by the image of a stranger. "Is this what you hoped by joining Orochimaru, Sakura?" Sasu/Saku. AU.
1. Catch Me When I Fall

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**A/N:** Inspired by the tedious affair of Saturday laundry, and the mind-Photoshopping of cut Sasuke and paste Sakura.

Warning: Irregular updates due to _Sasuke (Not Uchiha)_ as priority. High on unrequited love and the twisty feeling of romance, and less on fluff.

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><p><strong>Fallen<br>**_**Sa  
>Ku<br>Ra**_

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><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>  
><em>Catch Me When I Fall<em>

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><p>He tore through the empty hallway, heavy footsteps' clattering mixed with deep, labored breaths.<p>

One door was opened, and he cussed again.

"Not here."

The door was shut, and he raced on.

The walls were a repeating pattern of lines, meant to confuse. Every single damn corridor looked exactly the same.

He reached another door, opened it by a fraction.

Empty.

"Damn it. Not here either."

He shut it without a second thought.

No . . . he was so close . . . she _had_ to be here—

_BOOM!_

The whole building structure shuddered and shook. Rubble descended upon him, threatening to bury him alive. He added speed to his pace—there was light ahead, filtering through a gigantic crater. There he saw . . . Sai.

Traitor! his mind screamed. He added more speed to his limbs, breaking into a mad sprint and charging straight at Sai—

He was out of the underground lairs. He paid little heed to the sunlight that shone in his eyes through the raven locks, almost blinding him. For there was only one thing on his mind right now, and it was to murder that blank-faced little _traitor_—

A pale hand grabbed Sai by his collar. Sai himself did not seem to have noticed, only staring at Sasuke with blank, eerie eyes so much like his own . . .

"What the hell, Sai—"

"Sasuke."

That familiar voice made his heart jolt. His mind raced through a thousand miles, but his head turned slower than ever before. It was impossible, yet inevitable at the same time.

Another two pairs of footsteps raced through the maze corridors to a sudden stop. But Sasuke barely registered the presence of Naruto and Yamato.

Because, right there, standing atop of the ruins' wall . . . It was . . .

"Sakura . . ."


	2. When I Cease to Exist

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

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><p>"<em>Introduce ourselves?"<em>

"_Yes. You know. Likes, dislikes, goals, hobbies. That kind of stuff."_

_Beams. "I am Uzumaki Naruto! I like ramen, and I'm going to become the greatest Hokage one day!"_

"_That's impossible, _dobe _. . ."_

"_Teme!"_

"_. . ."_

"_I am Uchiha Sasuke. My likes and dislikes are none of your business." Smirk. "One day, I will defeat my brother and resume as the head of clan."_

_Coughs. "Itachi's better."_

_Vein twitches._

_Pause. "What about you, girl? What's your name?"_

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><p><strong>F<br>a  
>l<br>l  
>e<br>n  
>Sakura<strong>

**Chapter Two  
><strong>_When I Cease To Exist_

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><p>She was wearing a Sound uniform, just like Orochimaru's, with the outer shirt loosely tied and a black undershirt beneath. She was taller too, with a more mature look to her face that never truly presented the gaunt hollowness of her childhood. The laughter in her eyes that Team 7 had tried so hard to build was gone, replaced by a cold and hard void, like the brittle flint stone.<p>

This person . . . wasn't Sakura.

"You are fools for coming here today."

Naruto stepped forward. "Sakura-chan. Whatever you say, we're bringing you back to Konoha."

There was no expression on her face as she listened to Naruto's words. Where was her smile? Where was her laugh? Gone, gone away with the thirteen year-old girl Sasuke had once known.

"I have no obligations there." She reached into her medical pouch and pulled out two long, narrow metal scalpels. "I'd never cared for you."

"Then why did you spare Sasuke at the Valley of End? Why didn't you kill him, along with me? Aren't we you best friends?"

She gave a humorless smile.

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><p><em>Humorless smile. "My name is Haruno Sakura. I like nothing, and hate nothing. I have no hobbies. I train.<em>

"_My goal in life is not actually a goal, because someday I will make it into reality:_

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><p>"I'd spared your life on a whim, nothing more—" The scalpels glowed blue in her hands. "—but now, my whim is telling me to finish what I've started . . ."<p>

Just like that, she disappeared, and reappeared behind Sasuke, her mouth right beside his ear. Sasuke's eyes widened. Sakura had gotten behind him, without even his Sharingan taking notice. Was it possible that Sakura was even more powerful than before?

"Sasuke! _What are you doing, Sakura_?"

One of the knives reached up until it was an inch away from Sasuke's jugular. He knew she wouldn't miss that vein if she wanted to kill him—her teacher had been Tsunade, after all.

"Sasuke-_kun_," she whispered softly into his ear. "Are you afraid?"

"You won't do this. You can't."

Her chakra flared. "Test me."

And then he was falling, falling through a void of endless darkness, through trees and branches and down through the dark abyss—wind howled in his ears, intertwined with the screams, distorted and almost inhuman—

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><p>"<em>To track down my parents' murderers and kill them."<em>

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><p>"Kai!" he shouted.<p>

The genjutsu faded away.

Reality flooded back, and Sasuke was forced to leap away from Sakura's downward punch.

But then he realized that it wasn't directed at him at all, but on the ground. This cost him a few moments of hesitation—what was she doing?—before the earth shattered beneath her fist.

The larger pieces of debris missed Sasuke, but the dust that rose in the air hindered his visibility.

Where was Sakura?

"Over here," her voice muttered softly _right beside him_.

He barely dodged her glowing chakra scalpel, but then she disappeared again, this time above him.

He caught her fist, but her form evaporated into smoke.

Shadow clone . . .

The cloud of dust settled, and Sakura stood in front of him, thirty feet away.

"Uchiha Sasuke . . ." Her smile was cold and almost mocking, mocking his dreams of bringing back the thirteen year-old he had known. "Can you save your friends?"

It was only then Sasuke noticed the figures of Naruto, Yamato, and Sai, silent and still on the ground.

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><p>"<em>Land of Waves?"<em>

"_Yes." Smile fades. "Is there something wrong, Sakura-chan?"_

_Looks away. "No. Not at all."_

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><p>"Sakura!" Red Sharingan eyes were turned on her. "What have you <em>done<em>?"

For a split second, he was almost tempted to attack her with a Chidori, never mind how rash and irrational it would be. For a split second, his mind was so clouded with anger—extreme, boiling hatred and contempt—that he'd forgotten the girl Sakura Haruno, his teammate, his friend (his love), and saw a murderer.

For a split second, Sasuke wanted to kill her.

Then he saw it in her eyes, something she'd so longingly hidden beneath the cold exterior, something seen not with the Sharingan.

Fear. Self-pity. Self-loathing. Anger.

Pain.

The moment was over so quickly, her composure regained so completely back to indifference and aloofness, Sasuke wondered if it had been his stupid, subconscious hope rather than a true image.

"Look at you, Uchiha Sasuke," she whispered softly. "Pathetic. _This_," she gestured their surrounding of wreckage and destruction, "is what I had left Konoha for. _This_ is why I chose to break my bonds with your sad little lot back at the village. _This_ is my_ power_."

"And this is what you hoped to gain by joining Orochimaru?" Somehow, he found his voice. "You are willing to sacrifice your whole life in pursue for revenge? To chase after an unknown murderer?" His voice grew louder with every word, as if the agitation he felt could no longer be contained. "To follow a life of uncertainty, without a future? To kill your friends and throw away EVERYTHING WE'VE DONE FOR YOUR WHOLE _FUCKIN', MISERABLE EXISTENCE_?"

She surveyed him calmly, the portrait of nonchalance.

"ANSWER ME, SAKURA!"

Without hesitation, without so much as a blink of her eyes, she uttered:

"I already did."

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><p><em>Ba-dum.<em>

"_Sakura, you idiot! All your talk about avenging your parents . . . WHAT IS THE USE NOW?"_

_Ba-dum._

_Coarse chuckle. Coughs of blood. "Sasuke . . . No, shut up. I'm dying here. Listen to me, you douche." Pause. "I've finally figured it out . . ."_

_Alarmed. "Sakura, you__—__!"_

_Ba-dum._

_Cold hand covers his mouth._

"_The ones who murdered my parents . . . their red and black cloaks . . . I've finally remembered . . . They call themselves . . . the Akatsuki . . ."_

_Ba-dum . . ._

"_Tell . . . tell Tsunade-shishou I'm__—__I'm sorry . . . I . . . was . . . never the . . . perfect . . . student . . ."_

_Eyes flutter closed. Heartbeat ceasing._

"_SAKURA!"_


	3. When All Hope Seems To Be Gone

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

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><p>"<em>Chuunin Exams?"<em>

"_Yes. If you pass, you will be promoted to a Chuunin. There, you'll be able to take higher-ranked and higher-paid missions."_

"_Alright!" Grins. "I'm in!"_

"_Hn."_

"_Sasuke the bastard says he's in too."_

"_Dobe!"_

"_Teme!"_

"_I'll go, too."_

_Silence._

"_Sakura, are you sure?" Frown, visible behind mask. "The injuries from Waves__—__"_

_Glare. "I'm fine."_

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><p><strong>F a l l e n<br>S a k u r a**

**Chapter Three  
><strong>_When All Hope Seems To Be Gone_

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><p>Sakura raised an eyebrow, silently challenging.<p>

"What are you going to do, Sasuke?"

His response was the crackling blue electricity of the Chidori. Sasuke's head lifted up, eyes flashed red.

"Sakura . . . _I'LL MAKE YOU PAY!_"

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><p>"<em>You two seem to be quite the interesting specimen . . . Kukuku . . ."<em>

_Tighten of fist. "If you think you're going to get the scroll, think twice! We'll never hand it over!"_

"_Really." Amusement, dancing across eyes. "It is quite rare for a Genin like you, girl, to learn medical ninjutsu. Perhaps . . ."_

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><p>A hand other than Sakura's appeared, grabbing Sasuke's wrists, and shattering bones in the process. He was then flung aside, crashing through the field of rubble.<p>

The Chidori fizzed and died out in his palm.

"Now, now, Sakura-chan. I think that's quite enough, don't you think so?"

"Don't touch me, Orochimaru."

The snake bastard gave a disgusting, slithery laugh. "_Of course_, Sakura-chan."

In spite of the blinding pain in his wrist, Sasuke couldn't help but feel a prickling of disgust from Orochimaru's words.

"Now, as much as I would like to watch the rest of this . . . rather interesting fight, we have to leave right this moment. But, perhaps," Orochimaru glanced at Sasuke, "you want to stay for a while?"

"No." Sakura turned her back to Sasuke. "He—_they_ are of no importance."

Orochimaru laughed again. "Of course."

And then they began to disappear, like fiery shadows, ripping across space.

"No . . ." Sasuke managed to get out.

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><p><em>Writhing, convulsing of spine. "Eee<em>_—__AHHH!"_

_Clawing of throat._

_Screams, screams._

_Ba-dum, ba-dum, heart._

_(Helpless useless worthless)_

"_Dead . . . Dead . . . No . . . NO OKAA-SAN! OTOU-SAN! NOOOO!"_

"_It's a nightmare, Sakura. It's a nightm__—__"_

"_Why? Who are you? WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?"_

"_Sakura__—__"_

"_MONSTERS! MONSTERS! I AM GOING TO HUNT YOU DOWN! _I WILL KILL YOU ONE DAY_—__"_

_Tears, tears. Unnoticed. "Sakura . . ."_

"_I WILL KILL YOU!"_

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><p>No . . .<p>

He straightened his spine, the wounded muscles and bones barely supporting his weight.

Sakura . . .

Red replaced black.

"Sakura—No!"

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><p>"<em>Sasuke. Don't."<em>

"_But__—__"_

_Green eyes shine bright. "Do this . . . do this for me. Don't tell Naruto about the bruise."_

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><p>Foolish mortal. Haven't you tempted fate long enough?<p>

He leapt forward, one last, desperate leap—

_Wip, wip!__—__thud thud._

The force of the two scalpels, one at his stomach and one at his chest, sent him tumbling back to the ground.

"Too weak . . ." The wind brought Sakura's last, mocking whisper to his ear. With that, she and Orochimaru disappeared.

Blood poured out from his wounds. Sasuke tried to rise yet a second time, but the scalpels at his chest and abdomen set an electrifying pain through his muscles.

"S-Sakura . . ."

_Too weak._

The last thing he saw before losing consciousness was Naruto's twitching fingers.

Sasuke closed his eyes.

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><p><em>Ba-dum ba-dum ba-dum.<em>

_Clatter._

_Pause._

"_And the winner of this match is Haruno Sakura."_

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><p><strong>~.*.~<strong>

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><p>"You missed, Sakura-chan."<p>

She glared at her teacher while deliberately fingering the metal scalpel in her hand.

"I didn't."

She turned away, and walking calmly down the darkening halls.

"He ducked."

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><p><strong>AN:** Ahahahaha . . . I need a planner for this story. Or just a plot. D:


	4. When Love Isn't Enough

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**A/N:** Haven't updated this story for some time, huh. I should be working on _Sasuke, Not Uchiha_, or even _Fragmented Remains_, but the actual involvement of plot makes it kind of hard. . . .

Note: short.

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><p>"<em>Kakashi-sensei . . ."<em>

"_Hm, Sakura?"_

"_You . . . are teaching Sasuke the Chidori."_

"_Yes. He was very eager to learn."_

"_Oh." Pause. "I see."_

"_Sakura__—__"_

"_See you tomorrow, sensei. I need to find Tsunade-shishou."_

"_Hai. Of course, of course . . ."_

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><p><strong>~f a l l e n s a k u r a~<strong>

**Chapter Four**  
><em>When "Love" Isn't Enough<em>

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><p>Sasuke opened his eyes, and found that he was in the hospital. In Konoha.<p>

His mind felt strangely blank. There was no anger, no rage. Nothing.

Was this what they call acceptance?

Acceptance that Sakura was much too far beyond his reach now?

He tried to move, but as soon as he attempted to lift himself up there came a sharp burning at his back. Sasuke collapsed back to the bed. The wound must've come from the time that snake threw him to the ground.

"So you're awake. Okaa-san was getting worried."

Sasuke turned his head—thankful that no pain came with this movement—and saw his older brother, Itachi Uchiha. The man was sitting on a chair that faced Sasuke's bed.

"W-where—" Sasuke swallowed "—where is Naruto?"

"OVER HERE, TEME!"

Naruto hopped onto Sasuke's bed.

"OW! Get the fuck off!"

"His speed of recovery was extraordinary," said Itachi dryly.

When Naruto finally stopped jumping on the mattress, and Sasuke was finally able to sit up without triggering a nasty stitch or two, the door opened.

"I see you boys had done a lot without me."

"KAKASHI-SENSEI!"

"Kakashi."

The Jounin lifted his hand. "Wait. There is someone else you must meet first."

"Who?" asked Sasuke.

And so the door opened a second time.

Then—

"SAI!"

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><p>Even as two ANBU-level ninjas, Kakashi and Itachi were unable to stop Sasuke and Naruto from beating Sai up.<p>

Well, Kakashi didn't really do much in terms of interference, and Itachi thought it would be entertaining to see what his foolish little brother was going to do.

After some time, Sai was bound from head to toe by a few of the hospital's sheets. But instead of resisting, the boy only looked up to Naruto and Sasuke in bemusement.

"YOU!" Steam shot out from Naruto's nostrils.

"Me," said Sai, giving his "politely confused" smile.

Naruto ran for Sai, determined to beat the boy blue and purple, but Sasuke got hold of the blond's collar.

"What the hell, Sas—"

"_CHIDORI_—"

His attacked was paused by Kakashi's hand on his wrist.

"Kakashi!"

"Kakashi-sensei!"

"Now, now. Let's not be so hasty. I believe Sai has something to say for you both. Don't you, Sai?"

Said boy nodded. "Yes." He turned to Naruto. "Your fly is down."

"Wha—WHAT THE HELL?"

Itachi sighed. Sasuke glared. Naruto zipped his pants.

Kakashi said tiredly, "No, not that, Sai. The other thing. The one about this mission."

And so Sai told them. About Danzo. About his secret mission. About the assassination of Sakura Haruno. About his failure to go through with the mission. About his attempt to capture her instead.

Through the story, Sasuke listened, silent, and forgave. But he could not help the taste of bitterness that lingered his tongue whenever he looked at Sakura's replacement.

_Why you and not her?_

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><p>"<em>What the hell—?"<em>

"_Don't just stand there, Sasuke!" Weak, pale legs. Never running fast enough. "Oh god—Sasuke!"_

_Shukaku's lips, sneering. Tail, swiping._

_Sand, sand, sand, then . . ._

_Orange. Naruto._

"_Don't you all are worry! Uzumaki's here in a flurry!"_

_Relief. Relief. Relief._

_(Never enough.)_

_Resentment._


End file.
